Sound in the Shadows
by astro.pancakes
Summary: Is it possible to cheat death? Simple. Is it possible to escape the Time Lock? Improbable, but possible. Can you fix what wants to stay broken? Never. Just ask the Master.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note_**:_ Hello everyone. ^_^ I finally decided to start publishing. Anyway, here it goes! _

**_Disclaimer: _**_Obviously I don't own any of the cast and characters or I sure wouldn't be sitting here right now. T.T _

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_Run, run, run, run. The flames will reach you..._

He ran because there was nothing else. His mind was blank, assaulted by the sounds and the flashes. He felt his pulse racing in his head. His legs worked without the consent of his mind.

_Run, run, run, run. The screams are getting closer. _

It was a haze. Flames and destruction melded into a single picture around him, and he continued to run like the devil was at his heels. He couldn't have been closer to the truth.

_Run, run, run, run. You've only one instant to escape._

He kept running even when his legs wanted to give out. His eyes were locked on the prize. His _one_ chance at salvation. There was no other option. No other escape.

_Run, run, run, run_.

He ran even when he felt the flames lick at the back of his legs.

_Run, run, run, run_.

He was almost there.

_Run, run, run, run._

He ran even when he felt the superheated air entering his lungs.

_Run, run, run, run..._

For a moment, he nearly faltered. The fields had long since turned black and gray with ash and soot. A chill shot down his spine. Was there a point in running? Survival: plain, simple, and primal. It was a need that surpassed everything else. A need that surpassed the torturous cries that surrounded him. An entire planet was screaming in agony.

And he heard it.

_One two three four._

He ran with a renewed vigor. His feet pounded against the ash-covered ground. He dashed as best he could around the orange and red blaze, his eyes locked on the white form only feet away.

_Run, run, run, run!_

_One two three four!_

The last few feet were torturous. The flames caught his feet, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

_Oneruntworunthreerunfourrun!_

He dashed through the white halls, never stopping. There was just one moment. It had to be _perfect_. The noise in his head rose to an almost unbearable level. Almost.

He dashed into the white room and slammed his hand into the controls. Just a single moment. Only one. There was no room for error. He held in a breath of air and pulled the lever. And everything turned white.

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_So, there you have it. Hopefully that wasn't too painful. ^_^_


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** ^_^ I'm really surprised that I managed to update it so fast. Anyway, I wanted to just say thanks for reading and thank you for the review. So, here goes another chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I still don't own any of the character.

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"You'd think the whole of time and space at your feet, it'd be impossible to get bored!" the Doctor mumbled to himself as he fiddled with the TARDIS controls. With the Ponds off on an "exclusive adventure," he was left on his own.

The TARDIS gave a lurch. "Hey! Hey! I never said it was any fault of yours!" he shouted, giving his full attention to the controls. Still, the blue police box lurched and shuttered, much to the dismay and determent of the single occupant.

"Where are you going, old girl?" he asked, watching the coordinates change while trying to maintain his balance. The destination shifted again and again in a seemingly random order, the TARDIS lurching in a new direction with each change. Finally, it gave one last lurch before locking on to earth.

A rather dazed Doctor got up from where he'd landed on the floor and brushed his jacket off. He examined the controls with a curious expression, looking for any hint as to what caused the TARDIS's strange behavior.

He found nothing. Not even the slightest clue.

_Well… That's a bit odd._

He shook his head and waited to land.

Once the box was still, he exited the blue box and walked out into the streets of nineteenth century London, his boredom long since abandoned.

* * *

It was cold.

More specifically, _he_ was cold.

And his head was throbbing. The whole of his mind seemed like it was separated fm his perception by a wall of film. Or cotton. At least cotton equated to warmth.

He laid there for a while, just trying to gather his senses in the silence.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Silence was bad. Silence meant only death.

_Death… Silence…_

_One two three four_.

Ah. Much better.

_One two three four_.

He managed to move his arms. He was laying against something cold and soft. The ground, he figured. He opened his eyes and found fields. They weren't the red his mind expected, but green. He pushed himself up with his hands.

He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the fog. He instantly regretted it. A wave of nausea tore through him and he gritted his teeth until it passed. Once it was gone, he began his examinations again.

The fields were meant for crops. He wasn't quite sure which kind and something in the back of his mind told he that he didn't care.

He drew on the strength of the insistent beats of four and managed to bring himself to his feet. He stumbled a bit before he gained his footing. The air felt fresh in his lungs. It was free of the stench of smoke and burning flesh.

Wait… Burning flesh?

_One two three four._

The strength and encouragement the drums provided had a draw back, it seemed; his thoughts were being overpowered by the sheer furry of the noise. Still, somehow, he managed to find the information stored away in his head.

He was standing in fields of green. There was no fire threatening to destroy him and no screams threatening to consume him. He'd done it.

Escape.

Freedom.

_One two three four_.

He drew in a breath of the fresh air and threw his head back, letting loose a torrent of laughter.

He'd done it! Done what no one else even imagined to be possible!

_One two three four_.

And he had all the time in the world to do as he pleased.

"I'm back!"

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Thanks again for reading! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

Alright. Here's a new chapter. ^_^ Again, thank you for the reviews. Hopefully I'll be updating this fast until I can finish this story and get it out of my head.

**Disclaimer: ***Checks computer* Nope. Still don't own them.

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It had rained nearly four hours prior to the Doctor's arrival. The air smell fresh and new as he casually strolled the streets, keeping an eye open for any signs of something or another out of place. With nearly half an hour of walking, he had nothing to show for it. He was no closer to finding the reason behind the TARDIS's strange behavior.

He shook his head and walked on, Surely there was a reason. He'd given up on believing in coincidences lifetimes ago. Something had interfered with the TARDIS. Whatever that something was, it had to be dangerous, important, or a mixture of the two to provoke such a reaction from the old girl.

He was nearly outside of the city when he caught sight a glimpse of it.

To anyone who wasn't watching specifically for something off, it would have just looked like a small child in rag, lithely making its way through the crowds. To the Doctor, however, it was his first clue. Eyes locked onto his target, he took off, weaving his way though the people as quickly as he could without making himself obvious.

A bald, gray head peeked out form underneath the rags. The little creature couldn't have been half the Doctor's size. Still, the little thing managed to snake its way through the people with the grace of a cat.

He managed to tail it into a run down building near the slums. The Doctor casually slid up to the door and waited. "Excuse me," he called to one of the pedestrians.

The older man looked as though he'd seen better days, "Can I help you sir?"

"Do you know who owns this lovely home?" the Doctor asked, gesturing to the building.

The old man shook his head, "No, sir. There's been no one there for years. They say the building haunted."

"Haunted, you say? How haunted?" the Doctor questioned, his curiosity peeked.

"Some of the children say you can hear the voices of the dead crying out at night. Right bullocks if you ask me," the man answered. The Doctor nodded and considered the building as the old man left.

"Haunted!" he mumbled to no one in particular.

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"Did he see you?" the low voice asked.

The little gray creature nodded, unable to see the other through the shadows.

"Brilliant. Now we can finish what he started. You're certain he's the last of them left?"

"Yes. The second was banished back with the others. He must have burned with the rest of them." The larger creature laughed and the little one smirked. "One more to go. And this one won't even kill to defend himself."

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The Master was starving. Probably a side effect of his blotched resurrection that wouldn't ever cease to leave him. Unless he regenerated, of course. After the phasing, he was sure he didn't want to try anytime soon. At least the phasing had stopped after being pulled back with the rest of them. It was quite amazing what kind of medical care you get when someone wants you to live just to burn alive for you to see what your failure caused.

He'd managed to steal some clothes befitting the era and a hand full of currency. Hunger, drums and a head ache that felt like he'd been hit with a board. Ah. Let's not forget the best part: he was stranded on earth until he could figure out a way to build some witty gadget or another. He stopped and bought something to eat and took a seat against a building. He glared at the pitiful little creatures that scurried by. Of all planets, it _had_ to be earth.

He watched one particularly _brilliant_ man being escorted down the road by a pair of policemen. "Haunted!" the brunette man shouted, "Why is it you post such heavy guard around an abandoned building? Hm? What is it you don't want me to find? I like to find things I'm not supposed to. Call it a hobby!"

The policeman let him go, "I suggest you stop asking questions." They left and the odd brunette watched them go with a critical stare.

"Haunted," he repeated. After a good five minutes, he spun around like he as looking for something.

Something about the man was familiar. It was his mannerisms, he supposed. With the headache from extremely crude intergalactic travel and hunger, his mind wasn't functioning nearly as smoothly as he would have liked.

The man did a double take when his gaze hit the Master. He froze in place the second time, his mouth moving numbly, trying to form words. The Master watched the man, ready to make his own move if need be. Something wasn't right. The brunette took slow, even steps towards his seat.

"I don't… _What_?" he mumbled incoherently, "You were… How are you…?" The Maser narrowed his eyes, but he didn't move just yet. "Koschei?"

_One two three four_

He felt his hearts freeze for just a fraction of a second. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he laughed.

_Isn't this just my luck._

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So, there you have it. ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

I really wanted to thank you guys for the reviews. They're really nice. ^_^ Anyway, sorry about how late this chapter is. I got caught up with class T_T. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish upon a shooting star, I don't own anything quite so cool.

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He'd regenerated. It seemed that he still had several of his old mannerisms. But this time, he seemed a good deal more... eccentric than last time. _And they call me a mad man._

"How? What?" he babbled, staring at the only other timelord in existence.

The Master's escape route was clear. Strand the Doctor, steal the TARDIS. Kill two birds with a single stone. He just had to figure out where the blasted box was. And if, when he found it, he would be able to break through whatever barriers the thing had put up against him.

Better plan: play up the Doctor's compassion and have him lead the way to his own downfall. Now that was perfect.

He grinned up at his old enemy, "Escaped the Time Lock. It seems like you just can't get rid of me."

The shock turned to familiar caution, "That's not possible."

The Master's grin grew, "Improbable."

The Doctor watched him carefully, looking for any sign of violence, "You warped my coordinates."

Wrapped coordinates? Something had drawn the TARDIS to that moment in time. Something smart enough to blotch timelord technology. Something that was _certainly_ not a timelord. He laughed, "As much as I enjoy tampering with everything you hold dear, I haven't been here long enough to get settled." At least that explained why he'd ended up where he had. Anything powerful enough to latch onto the TARDIS was likely to affect anything that ran on similar technology. Including the Master's last resort to escape the flames. Interesting. Quite interesting.

"You're stable," the Doctor pointed out.

He grinned, "Tell me. How much effort does it take to make your brilliant deductions?"

The Doctor frowned, running a hand through his hair. He started pacing and mumbling, "You should be dead, but you're not."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"And you're sitting here and stable."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

A grin broke out on his face and he stopped pacing, "And you're stuck here!"

If at all possible, the Master's hatred of the other timelord grew, "What fun."

"Which means that you have another chance!"

He couldn't stop laughing, "I _died_ to avoid being stuck with you. How do you think that's changed? Did you think I'd warm up to you because you got a new face?"

"You saved me," the Doctor pointed out.

"I got revenge," the Master corrected.

"Are they still there?" the Doctor asked.

"Loud and clear," the Master hissed, not wanting to be reminded of the drums.

"Impossible. The link was severed," the other mumbled.

"Have I told you that you're an idiot?"

"You never fail to."

"I think you need to hear it more often."

"Then come with me and you can tell me every day," the Doctor offered.

For a moment, the offer threw him off guard. Was he really _that_ daft? It should have been obvious that letting a viper run loose inside your home wasn't the most brilliant of moves. Especially when that viper had a personal grudge against you and knew how to run your advanced alien technology. "To what end?" he resisted the urge to jump up and choke the life out of the other timelord, "So you can _fix _me? I don't think so."

All of the good nature fell from the Doctor's face, "You know I can't leave you on your own."

"Try me, Doctor. I dare you," the Master mocked with a grin, standing up. The last two timelords watched one another, locked in a silent battle of wills. The humans around them were completely oblivious to the silent war going on in their minds.

That is, until the explosion.

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So, there you have it. ^_^ Yet another cliff hanger (sorry about that). I'll hopefully have the next chapter up tomorow.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! Looks like I managed to update today after all. ^_^ Again, I really wanted to thank you for the reviews. They're really good for making my day and forcing me to write more. ^_^ So, here's the next one.

**Disclaimer:** *sigh* I _still_ don't own it...

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Both timelords looked out at the enormous cloud of smoke. Both had felt the tremendous amount of energy and the shock wave that passed harmlessly through the streets. People scattered. "That's not supposed to happen," the Doctor muttered. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and tried to take a reading. He frowned, "We're too far away to get a proper reading."

The Master's eyes were glued to the plume of smoke. After running for his very existence through the flames, the thought of doing it again didn't appeal to him. Especially with the burns that were freshly healed on the back of his legs. The Doctor was watching him with that annoying stare, "Are you going to follow by choice?"

Was he TARDIS worth running through fire and putting up with the Doctor? He knew the answer just as much as he knew he was going to regret it. He grinned, "Lead the way, dear Doctor."

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Too easy. The Master didn't just _give in_. He had a plan and the Doctor knew it. He wasn't going to suffer through becoming the last of his kind _again_. He was a new man, after all. Well, relitivly new. And he was quickly scanning his brain for the best way to keep the Master from attempting another plot against him or the earth. Or any world, for that matter.

The explosion was outside of the city. Luckily, it seemed like no one was in the area. There was a decent sized hole in the ground and the air around it was filled with smoke. The Doctor took more readings, "This is a crash site."

"Where's the ship?" the Master asked, eyeing the crater.

The Doctor shrugged, "I have this uncanny feeling that it has something to do with that haunted house."

"Why does it matter? Let the humans deal with it on their own," the Master argued, "Don't interfere."

The Doctor shook his head, "Nonsense. This is what I do."

"Because you couldn't save home, you decide to protect this miserable little world," the Master grumbled.

The Doctor spun on his heels, anger coating his features, "Stop."

"I'm reminded of a human cliché: the truth hurts," the Master pushed.

For a moment, the Doctor looked as though he were about to take a swing at the other man. Finally, he grabbed the Master's shoulder, "I'm rather certain this explosion is more pressing than out domestic issues. Can we agree on that? Hm?"

"No," the Master snapped, "Nothing about this planet is pressing to me."

The Doctor let go and smiled, "That's funny because there's toxins floating around in the air and in our lungs. It's the perfect mix for a being with two hearts. It works its way through out system twice as fast as a human's where it would usually take long enough to simply dilute itself on its own."

One of the Master's hearts froze for a moment. And then the furry came. He was _not_ going to die because the daft idiot before him managed to drag him right into a trap. The drums pounded in his ears, demanding retribution. "Where is this haunted house?" he demanded.

_One two three four._

"Now, now. Wouldn't it be a better idea to head back to the TARDIS and get rid of the nasty little poison running through our systems?" the Doctor suggested. The Master frowned. The faster he could steal the TARDIS and rid himself of the Doctor, the better. He nodded and followed the Doctor down the streets once more, glaring at his back the whole way.

_One two three four._

He felt one of his hearts slowing down around the same time they reached an ally housing the familiar blue box. His frown deepened and he slumped as easily as possible against the box as the Doctor dug in his coat for his key. He went to follow the Doctor into the TARDIS. That is, until the blue door slammed shut in his face. For a moment, he was stunned speechless. Once more, shock turned to furry and he started slamming his fist into the door, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Making sure there's no possibility that you can steal the old girl while I mix up something to keep our hearts beating," the Doctor's muted voice sounded through the door.

Ignoring the fact that he knew the doors wouldn't give under the pressure of force, the Master continued to hit the door, "I _hate_ you!"

_One two three four!_

The door opened and the Doctor walked out holding a glass. The Master glared at him and then the glass, "What is that?"

The Doctor gave him a dull stare, "Are you honestly accusing _me_ of poisoning a poisoned man?"

The Master bit back a line of insults and snatched the glass, finishing it as swiftly as possible. It worked quickly, stopping any further damaged, allowing his body to start repairing the damage. The Doctor grinned and the Master knew he'd made a mistake. "What have you done?" he demanded.

_One two three four!_

"Insurance," the Doctor answered, his grin widening.

The Master didn't even try to restrain his rage. He grabbed the Doctor's shirt, "What have you done?"

_Onetwothreefour!_

"There was a trace amount of a unique form of an ion. The TARDIS, my sonic screwdriver, and the vast majority of alien technology will recognize it immediately and refuse to function for anyone carrying it," the Doctor explained, "If you want off this planet, I'm your only ticket."

The Master reacted before his mind had a chance to really process the information. His fist caught the other timelord, "You ruin _everything_!"

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

The Doctor blinked then rubbed his cheek, "You _hit_ me!"

"Brilliant deduction as always!" the Master hissed, letting him go, "Don't even _think_ about getting in my way. Whatever happens, remember that I was content to leave this wretched little rock five minutes ago." He stomped off, away from the Doctor. He was stranded on a planet he hated in a time where he lacked the proper technology to build a way out in a reasonable amount of time and the drums were beginning to reach an unbearable level. If anything would provide a way to shut the drums up, it would be the thing that set the trap that ruined his plans in the first place. He heard the Doctor's footsteps behind him, but he ignored them. Let the idiot follow. He was out for blood. And the Doctor would provide a wonderful audience.

_ONETWOTHREEFOUR!_

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And there we go. ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

**Note:** Hello again! Sorry about the wait. I managed to get back into a corner with some work and it took a bit of time to dig my way back out. Anyway, once again, I want to thank you all for the reviews because they really make writing this worth while and I hope that this chapter is to your liking. Enjoy! ^_^

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It wasn't hard to find the 'haunted' house. It carried the scent of an alien world. Unlike the Doctor, the Master was much more sensitive to smells instead of tastes. And he was glad. He didn't much fancy eating dust or anything other than food. Besides, scents were far more useful as far as he was concerned.

"You're not going to kill anyone," he heard the Doctor chant behind him.

"Watch me," the Master responded, "And be glad that I still need you alive."

The 'haunted' house was a lot less impressive than he expected. The two policemen who'd escorted the Doctor immediately approached him. "Sir, this building-" He pushed right pusher them, leaving the Doctor to deal with the problems.

He marched up to the door and started hitting it, "Open up, cowards!" It took less than a minute for the door to creak open. He stormed inside, knowing the Doctor was right on his heels. He's expected a ship; something terrible and dark, full of the stench of death. What he didn't expect was to walking through a door and find an open field full of tall, red grass under a night sky full of stars. He stopped walking the moment his hands brushed the grass.

"That's _defiantly_ not right," the Doctor said, now at his side.

"That's impossible. You told me they burned. I _saw_ them burn," the Master said. He heard the sonic screwdriver at work, but he didn't bother to look at the man holding it.

"It's generated from our memories. Which means I'm not the only one who has a knack for storming right into a could-be trap," the Doctor said, "Thankfully, the door is still-" The door slammed shut, leaving them stuck in the red fields under a night sky. The Doctor smacked his hands and rubbed them together, "Right, then. Looks like we'll be doing a bit of exploring."

"Remind me again how you've managed to stay alive all these years?" the Master sighed. The burning fields were exponentially better than restored ones with all too familiar company.

"A bit of luck and a lot of running," he responded with a proud grin.

"I'm far from amused, Doctor," the Master shot back.

The Doctor looked around, "So. How do you figure we get in contact with whoever is running this ship?"

"Oi! What do you think you're doing, you slimy cowards? A couple of hijacked memories isn't going to make me any more friendly!" the Master yelled to the stars.

"You are dangerous," a static-filled voice responded. It was clearly transmitted through some sort of machinery. "Identify yourself," it demanded.

"I'm the Doctor," the other timelord replied, pulling on his jacket with a proud look, "We're here to help."

"Actually, _I'm_ here to-"

"Not helping," the Doctor hissed through his teeth, his grin never falling an inch.

"We know who you are, Doctor. We speak of your companion," the amplified voice commented.

"Let's get one thing strait. Shall we? I am _not_ nor will I ever be his _companion_," the Master said, spitting the word 'companion' as if it were venom to his tongue.

"Identify yourself," the voice insisted.

"Yana," the Master lied automatically, "Happy?" He'd used it long enough that is would be all but undetectable as a lie. Still, he felt a savage anger towards claiming it as his. It was an anger that fed into the drums.

The red fields faded, replaced by the harsh silvers of a ship. "I _knew_ it wasn't haunted!" the Doctor exclaimed, "It's just a ship! A god old ship."

The little gray creature emerged form one of the halls, its huge dark eyes watching the two timelords. "We are stranded," it said, its voice soft, "We have little power. Just enough to maintain the shields and defenses."

The Doctor's smiled grew, "How can we help?"

The gray creature watched the Master, "That one has malice in his eyes. He must leave. Now."

The Master ignored the little creature's demand and stomped right up to him. He leaned down and grabbed enough of the alien's shirt to haul the little being up off the floor to eye level. The drums washed out the Doctor's shouts. "What do you think I am? An idiot? As daft as the gullible dimwit behind me?" the Master demanded, shaking the other alien for emphasis before his voice took on the dangerous edge that came so natural along with the dark grin, "Listen to me _very_ carefully, runt, because this might just save your life. He may be gullible enough to blindly believe everything you say until it's too late, but I'm not. I'd smell the gases leaking form this place if you were lacking power. You wouldn't be able to spare the energy needed to send out a decoy explosion to draw him in here."

"As I recall, _you_ were the one who stormed in here," the Doctor pointed out, "I just followed you to make sure you don't kill anyone. So, put him down. You have no proof."

"Shut it," the Master hissed over his shoulder before returning his attention to the little creature, "Let me warn you: I'm in a _very _bad mood today. So, I suggest you tell me where the idiot is who decided to set all of this up before my bad day turns out to be your _worst_ day."

"Um… Master?" the Doctor interrupted.

"Don't you understand that this is a trap?" the other timelord hissed. Surely his compassion had its limits.

"I believe your day just went from bad to worse," a new voice answered. The Master turned to his right to look down the barrel of an alien laser gun.

_You've _got _to be joking._

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^_^ Hope you enjoyed it. I hope to update soon. Hehe. Yet another cliff hanger. Poor Master.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello again. ^_^ Sorry for the late update. I've been really busy recently. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hopefully you all like it a litte better than I did. ^_^

PS Nope, I still don't own Doctor Who or any characters involved. Some dreams just don't come true.

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The Master dropped the little gray alien and turned to face the one holding a laser gun at him. It was, for lack of a better term, a snack-man. A snake man in a suit. He had to restrain the laughter that threatened to erupt. "I take it that you're the 'brains' behind this little stunt," he chuckled.

"Maybe we should nicely ask the nice alien to lower his laser gun?" the Doctor suggested.

"Maybe you should learn to stop being so blind," the Master hissed, "There's a reason that this thing wanted us on board. More specifically, a reason why he wanted _you_ on board. Why is that, I wonder?"

"You are no human," the alien said, moving a step closer. The little gray thing ran behind the suited snake.

"Quite proud of that fact," the Master mumbled, his eyes focused on the weapon pointed at him.

_Three more steps forward and I win_. _I always win_.

_One two three four…_

One step forward. "Identify your species."

He put on a mocking grin, "Now, you see, I have this problem with authority. Just ask him. When you make it a demand, I just _don't_ want to do it. Try asking, maybe even begging. That might put me in a better mood."

Two steps.

_One two three four_.

"I will not ask you a third time. If you are a threat to this operation, you must be dealt with," the reptile warned.

"I think you ought to tell the nice man," the Doctor tried again, this time seeming more desperate. No doubt he was well aware that violence was a hair's breadth from breaking out.

"I don't think so," the Master insisted, "What good would it do anyway? Obviously, I _am_ a threat or you wouldn't be pointing that at me."

Three steps.

_One two three four!_

His hearts were pumping faster. Finally. All the built up energy from his escape and meeting with the imbecile of a timelord was going to have an outlet.

One more step. His smile partially faded as he waited in anticipation for the last step. Just one more. Just one.

_ONE TWO THREE FOUR!_

Three! He struck quickly, knocking the deadly gun away from the snake-man's hand. The moment he started unleashing the pent up rage, he smiled. It was _so_ good to be bad. The dull pain in his knuckles amplified the pounding in his head, drowning out the Doctor's shouts. He felt something warm like blood on his hands. He wasn't quite sure it wasn't his own. And it wasn't going to stop it.

When he felt the hand on his shoulders, pulling him away from his outlet, he turned to face his new opponent. He _always _won. _Always. _Whoever this person was wasn't going to change that.

The Doctor managed to pull the other timelord off of his unfortunate and quite battered foe, dropping him only when they were a few feet from the other alien's unconscious form. The wild grin plastered on the Master's face didn't ease the Doctor's nerves in the lest little bit. Brilliant. Stuck in a ship with aliens that obviously didn't want to invite him to an intergalactic picnic with a murder-crazed version of his once dear friend who was currently busy focusing said murderous intent solely on him. Just _brilliant_.

"You've done enough," he said, being as careful as possible to channel all of the authority he could muster behind his voice, "This is exactly why I can't let you roam around on your own."

The wild grin grew just a bit, "What are you going to do to stop me? What's there to stop me from turning on you now?"

"Go ahead," the Doctor tested, hoping he'd judged his former friend well enough. Tension warped the air. Nothing moved. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, feeling a triumphant smile beginning to grow.

A scowl took the place of the wild grin, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Making a point," the Doctor answered.

"I hate you," the Master seethed, "You think you're _so_ brilliant."

"What? You're allowed to have an ego but I'm not? That hardly seems fair."

The ship lurched, knocking them both from their conversation. "That stupid, worthless little runt," the Master seethed. The little creature was no where to be found.

"We have to get off this thing before it takes off and we're stuck," the Doctor said, looking around. He finally turned his gaze to the other alien sitting on the floor. He offered his hand, "Time to go."

The Master smacked his hand away and got up on his own. "I'm only following because I intend to get my revenge."

"Course," the Doctor said, unable to stop the smile as he started rushing for the exit of the ship, listening to the footsteps behind him. He certainly wasn't the best of company and he had his nasty mood swings, but still, his presance meant the Doctor wasn't a single relic of a long-dead civilization anymore. And, of course, there was the chance to right the centuries old wrongs. They just had to get out of the ship before it took off.

* * *

So, there we go. ^_^ I'll try to update a lot sooner this time.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone. ^_^ I'm back with another chapter. Once again, sorry for the late update. I've already started on the next chapter, so it should be up soon. Hope you enjoy!

Once again, I don't own Doctor Who, though I really wish I did.

* * *

Without the illusion in the hallway, it was a rather simple task to find the front door. While the Doctor fretted with the sonic, the Master stood off to the side, impatiently tapping his foot with a scowl. The buzzing of the failing attempts of the sonicscrewdriver were only adding to the pounding ache building up in his head.

"Do you even know how to work that thing properly?" he demanded, knowing that they only had about a minute left before the ship took off.

"'Course I do," he answered. Just in time, the door gave a _click_ and the Doctor shoved it open. They rushed out onto the streets with only seconds to spare.

Though none of the humans were able to see through the perception filter, the ship simply vanished. "You don't intend to find it, do you?" the Master demanded.

The Doctor kept his eyes locked on the spot where the ship once was, "I have this hunch that we won't have to."

"We?" the Master scoffed, "They were after _you_. There is no 'we.'"

The Doctor finally set his sights on the Master, "Funny. I wasn't the one who bloodied my own knuckles beating someone senseless."

"I'll beat you senseless," the Master hissed.

The Doctor grinned and started walking, "And they tell me I have a short attention span."

The Master ignored that knowledge that it was a childish ploy to make sure he followed and did just that. He channeled his remaining anger into picturing another day when he'd make sure that self-righteous smirk feel into a look of horror and planning how to do it. First, he had to find out what the Doctor had done. It would be simple enough to find the things he needed on the TARDIS and all but impossible in this time period. While he dealt with the Doctor's trick, he could always make his life a nightmare. He grinned at the Doctor's back. It seemed like a decent plan. He may even get to wound the good Doctor's heart in the process.

This time, the Doctor held the door open and allowed his new companion inside first. Once again, the TARDIS had adjusted to suit this new regeneration. His eyes swept across the main consul before he turned his attention to the Doctor. "Indulge me. What is it, exactly, that you think you're going to do?" he demanded.

The Doctor walked up to the controls and began to input instructions, "What am I going to do with what?"

"You can't honestly think that you can keep me from killing something or someone," the Master said, "Or that you can keep me here for the remainder of my life—or even yours, for that matter."

The TARDIS lurched, nearly knocking both its occupants off their feet as it took off. After it steadied out a bit, the Doctor turned to face the other timelord, "I think you overestimate yourself. You always have had a bit of an ego problem." The Master scowled, but didn't say anything. The Doctor sighed, "Why can't you ever just travel? What's the point of trying to prove our superiority to everything you meet?"

"I don't know. What's the point of trying to fix everything you find knowing that it's just going to break again?" the Master shot back.

"Making people fear you doesn't make them accept you," the Doctor finally said, glancing up at the blonde timelord.

"Fixing things doesn't give you amnesty for our people," the Master hissed.

The Doctor laughed, only adding to the Master's annoyance, "It's a good thing that's not the reason I fix things, then. Isn't it? What I've never understood is why everything has to have a selfish motive with you. There _are_ a few decent people in the universe, you know."

"Oh? Like you?"

"Depends you your version of decent."

"My version of decent would give you nightmares."

"Course it would. Why don't you go clean up? You smell like smoke and sweat."

"You're giving me leave to wonder about the TARDIS, then?"

"I believe an extra room is strait down the hall, third door on the left, down that hall, past the pool, through the library, take a right, and first door on the left."

"And the Wardrobe? I'm not running about in this."

"Conveniently, across the hall from the extra room. Goodbye." The Master ground his teeth together and stomped down the hallway, pretending there was a Doctor-shaped bug under his foot each time.

* * *

And there you have it. ^_^ I hope you enjoyed it.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello again. I apologize once more for the late post, but, at least I gotaround to it. I hope you enjoy it. ^_^

I want to send a special thanks to everyone who has reviewed.

Once more, I desperatly wish I owned Doctor Who, but I don't.

* * *

_There was music playing in the distance. He could barely hear it over the pound of the beat in his head. He hated it. Loathed it. He glanced back at the building behind him. They were celebrating for him. He frowned. There was nothing to celebrate about. It was a nightmare that he couldn't wake from. "What are you doing out here?" a voice asked from behind him. _

_He turned to face a boy near his own age. He quickly hid his discomfort with a frown, "This is unnecessary."_

_Theta smiled, "It's fun!"_

_He shook his head, "It's noisy."_

_"It's a _party_!" Theta laughed, "By the very nature of the word, it's supposed to be noisy."_

_"I must ask what the purpose of celebrating adulthood is if the new 'adult' is question is not there," an irritated female voice called. _

_"Rani!" Theta greeted, "I didn't think you would turn up."_

_"I had little choice in the matter," the girl scowled. She turned her attention to him, "What's the matter with you?"_

_"Head ache," he answered, cutting the conversation short. She observed him like she did her experiments, but let it go. Theta, on the other hand, began to ramble about traditions on Earth. Both of his companions ignored him for the most part. She knew he was hiding something and he never planned to admit it. _

_He finally looked out to the fields to avoid her watchful eyes. The red grass was the one thing that was peaceful. It was the one thing that was safe. _

_Until it began to burn. _

_One, two, three, four._

_The flames rose higher and higher. He turned to look for his former companions. They were gone, as always. He was alone. _

_"Freak!" a voice from behind him called. He turned once more to face nameless children who were engulfed by the flames, yet, completely unaffected. _

_"Murderer!" another called, throwing something. He rushed away from the flames and the children as though his body was working on its own. He ran, trying in vain to find a place to shelter him form the fire. Still, the flames kept surging closer and closer. _

_One, two, three, four. _

_There was no place to hide. He would die. Still, he kept running. He ran until he fell in the burning, red grass. There was no stopping the flames. They consumed him._

_One, two, three, four!_

His eyes snapped open as he woke up. He was instantly grateful that he hadn't jumped up or gasped. The Doctor had just entered the room. "What do you want?" the Master demanded.

The Doctor grinned and held up a tray with food, "I come bringing gifts. How about a momentary cease-fire?"

The Master glared, "You want something. What is it?"

The Doctor took that as an invitation and marched on in, dumping the tray on the nightstand. He pulled a nearby chair near the bed and sat down. "Now, why can't I simply be nice?" he asked.

The Master watched him carefully, "Because manipulative and nice aren't the same things."

The Doctor sighed, 'Fine. You're right."

The Master gave him on odd look, "That must be a first."

"How are you stable?" he asked, ignoring the distraction. The Master frowned before grabbing a random food off of the tray. It suddenly seemed much better company than the Doctor. "I need to know," the Doctor said, not moving his unnerving gaze.

"For someone who pays attention to the most insignificant detail, you certainly miss the more obvious ones. I told you why," he answered.

"Why would they save you?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know!" the Master growled.

"That's a first," the Doctor said with a smile.

The Master seethed, "What is it you want from me? I'm not going to change, Doctor. You, of all people, should know that. What will you do when I kill someone? It will be your fault for not preventing it."

The Doctor sighed, "Why does everything with you have to do with _winning_? Koschei, we've already lost."

"Don't call me that!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Everything! Everything is wrong, Doctor. I should be _dead_."

"That's an interesting point. Why aren't you?"

"Because it seems the only thing you and I are good at is surviving." Neither one of them said a thing for a while.

"Well then," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together, "I suppose I should warn you that the Ponds are soon to return from their vacation and that I want no funny business. Got it?"

"Ponds? What do you mean, Ponds?"

* * *

^_^ So, there it is. Poor Ponds. No idea what they're returning to.


	10. Chapter 10

O.o I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in forever. I got really caught up in exams and piled under work. Anyway, I finally got caught up and I plan on regularly updating again. I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, like always, they're very supportive and helpful.

And, no, I still don't own Doctor Who. Wishing only gets you so far, sadly...

* * *

Even more interesting that than introducing new companions to the TARDIS, the Doctor found, was introducing companions to the Master. Before he'd even landed the TARDIS, the Doctor made three predictions. The first being that Rory would put on a brave face for all of about a minute before the Master managed to demoralize him. Secondly, Amelia Pond and the Master would _not_ get along in any way, shape or form. And, finally, life around the TARDIS wouldn't be easy. Then again, when was life in the TARDIS ever easy?

What actually happened, however, was a bit far from what he expected. Of course, the Master's reaction to the nurse went according to the Doctor's predictions. For the first several seconds, Rory merely stared. After the Doctor casually made introductions and warned the Ponds quickly about the Master, Rory placed himself in front of his wife. The Master, sensing he human's discomfort with a dangerous alien in such close proximity, let loose a malicious grin, "Oh, don't worry, ape. I only bite when I'm hungry and I've already had breakfast. Save your energy for lunch." Prediction one complete.

The Doctor gave a dramatic sigh, "Are you honestly _proud_ of that?"

The other timelord turned his grin to his enemy, "Wouldn't you like to know, _Theta_?"

And then things began to turn in a direction the Doctor _hadn't_ predicted. Amy stepped in front of her husband, watching the timelord with a manic grin. She pointed at the Doctor without taking her eyes from the Master, "You know him? I mean, _really_ know him."

The Master tilted his head a bit, inspecting the redhead. The Doctor did _not_ like the look on his face. "Of course I _know_ him. I _tutored _him," the Master said, turning a particularly evil glance toward that Doctor.

Said timelord quickly rushed towards the bleach blonde and stated shoving him back into the hall of the TARDIS by his shoulders, "Alright. That's lovely and all, but I think we should give the poor man some time to get properly cleaned up."

The Master slipped slyly under the Doctor's pushing arms and turned to face him, grin in place, "See, Doctor? For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, your imprisoning me here with you has lead me to the opportunity to tell wonderful and colorful stories to these beloved companions of yours about our past."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and pointed to the Master's chest like a mother scolding her child, "You're forgetting that I still owe you for all of those times you've tried to take over the world and imprison _me_."

"I was _trying_ to kill you," the Master hissed.

"Of course you were," the Doctor shot back with a knowing smile.

The grin melted right off of the other timelord's face to be replaced with a scowl, "I was simply waiting for you to watch as I killed your companion."

The Doctor shook his head, "Of course. If that's what puts you to sleep at night. Just one more thing: why save me that Christmas? Hm?"

"Why wouldn't I kill him? He destroyed my life! It was revenge; pure and simple."

"I thought that you _enjoyed_ what you do."

"I'd like to take this time to let you know, _dear Theta_," the Master sneered, "that the universe doesn't revolve around your massive ego!" Amy laughed.

The Doctor shot her a glare before returning his attention to his once friend turned enemy. "Don't listen to him, Pond. He'll use you to make his escape." The Master shrugged casually before he simply sat down and leaned against the wall of the control room. The Doctor watched him carefully for a few minutes before turning his attention to the TARDIS's controls.

Rory took the chance to approach the Doctor. "You said he's dangerous. Why is he in here, then?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to be quiet.

The Doctor didn't pull his attention from the TARDIS, "Because he's my responsibility."

The Master scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Then why don't you do what you do with the rest of your responsibilities and toss me out into the time vortex?" There was no answer. While Rory argued with the Doctor, Amy took the time to stand next to the newest TARDIS traveler.

"So, what are you two? Friends? Brothers? Something else?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

He frowned and watched the Doctor fiddling with the controls. "Why would I answer you, ape?" he said, almost absently.

She shrugged, "I don't know. It was worth a try. It's not like he's going to tell me anything. He likes to be _so_ mysterious."

The Master shook his head, "That isn't the point of it."

"Then, what is?" Amy asked, trying to get as much from the new alien as possible.

He finally turned his full attention to her. When he spoke, he spoke with enough volume to project to the Doctor, "Because he's an idiot who thinks he has to safe the universe to make up for not saving his planet."

"I heard that!" the Doctor snapped, "There will be none of this..._ consorting_ on my own ship!"

"Keep your eyes on the road, raggedy man!" Amy shouted, "I'm not done snooping!"

"You'll not be _snooping_ in _my_ past on _my_ ship with me standing eight feet away from you!" the Doctor instructed.

'Seven feet three inches," the Master interjected in an attempt to rally the Doctor's anger. Anything to make him angry. Angry meant mistakes and mistakes meant escape. More than that, anger from the Doctor was much easier to deal with than that self-righteous stare of his. It was something the Master wanted to avoid, even if it came at a rather heavy cost.

"You hush," the Doctor said, "And you, Pond! You realize that that man you're standing next to would kill you if it benefited him?"

"Believe me, Doctor, if I'm going to kill anyone on this blasted ship, it would be you," the Master said, closing his eyes, "At the moment, anyway."

"Does he just threaten you like this all of the time?" Rory asked, "And you're just keeping him around?"

The Doctor flipped another switch on the TARDIS and the familiar sound of takeoff echoed through the room, "He's a genius, Rory. Think of it this way; it would be brilliant times two. Besides, I think that we may just need an extra bit of brilliant sometime soon."

"I just have one question, Doctor," Amy said, walking towards her boys.

"What's that, Pond?"

Amy snickered, "Is your name _really_ Theta?"

The Doctor leered at the Master, "It was a nickname."

The TARDIS gave a nasty lurch, sending everyone but the Master who was seated stumbling. Prediction there, complete.

* * *

Well, there you go. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. ^.^ I hope to update soon. Then we get to find out where the Doctor has decided to take the gang.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright! I finally got back on track for updating. ^.^ Need I say that it's good to have a whole load of stress suddenly taken off your back? As always, I'd like to send a special thank you to everyone who's been reviewing and favorting. So, without further hesitation, here's the next chapter, as promised. Please enjoy. ^.^

And, if you happened to miss the memo in the past few chapters, regretably, I don't own anything about Doctor Who (besides a plastic sonic, but that's not the point .).

* * *

Alright. Admittedly, sometimes on a very, _very_ rare occasion, the Doctor's brilliant plans had a tendency to backfire. Tracking the signal the sonic had picked up from the "haunted house" seemed like a great plan. That is, of course, until that signal managed to somehow fragment into at least twelve different directions. Still, being the Doctor and therefore absolutely brilliant, he managed to think up a plan to find the correct signal. ...It was just going to take a full day.

For being a timelord, time seemed to really enjoy working against him.

He glanced around the control room. The Ponds had retired early at his urging, leaving him alone with the Master. The other timelord hadn't said anything since he'd last tried to pass secrets to Amy that the Doctor really would rather leave in the past. Instead, he'd fiddled with his scabbed knuckled and eventually leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. That wasn't exactly normal; he'd always been rather paranoid, especially in this last regeneration.

One eye cracked opened, "I'm not asleep, if that's what you thought."

The Doctor put on a frown, "Why are you still in here?"

"My presence unnerves you," he answered.

"Well, at any rate, I think it's time I actually got a decent answer out of you," the Doctor sighed, leaning his back against the controls.

The Master laughed, "You are far too stubborn for your own good; always have been."

"I could say the same thing about you," the Doctor responded, "How did you escape? If nothing else, at least tell me that."

"Why does it matter?" the Master snapped.

"Because I think it's a good thing for me to know who is coming after me," the Doctor responded evenly, "You couldn't have been the only one to make it, could you?" The Master frowned deeply but didn't answer. "Who came through?" the Doctor demanded, his hearts beating rapidly. They may not be alone. He could only hope it wasn't one of the more...vengeful timelords.

The Master leered at the Doctor, "No."

"You realize that you're in as much danger as I am if someone else survived?" the Doctor reasoned, "Obviously, they stopped your phasing for a reason, and I can't imagine it would be something like having a party in your honor after you doomed them all back into the time lock. If anything, you're probably in more danger than I am."

"You haven't the faintest idea, do you?" the other timelord asked bitterly.

"Idea about what? I have a lot of ideas."

"The Rani," he simply stated.

"What was that?" the Doctor asked, almost wishing he'd misheard.

"What are you? Daft or deaf?"

"The Rani came through and you never thought to mention that?"

"Why would I? She hates you more than she hates me. Especially now."

The Doctor sighed and shook his head, "Well, it seems like the longer I live, the more ironic the universe seems to be."

"Why is that?" the Master scowled, not finding the humor of the situation.

"That the three of us-the misfits-would be the last ones left," the Doctor explained.

Silence descended on the control room save the light beating of the drums in the Master's ears. They were quieter than usual, he noted, but didn't think much of it. The Doctor turned around after a quiet minute and started fidgeting with the TARDIS controls. After a minute with that, he turned towards the hall, "I'll be back. Just don't...kill anything."

The Master watched him leave before he leaned his head back again and closed his eyes. Truth be told, he hadn't slept through a few hours since his blotched regeneration. While he'd been on earth, it'd been the hunger that interfered with sleep. In the time lock, it had been his own people.

It didn't take long at all for him to find sleep.

_He was hurting. When they'd stopped the phasing, it felt like someone had harnessed lightning and sent it hurling through his system. It'd been a whole day, but every twitch of a muscle caused the ache to return with a vengeance. And more than that... there were only days until the flames would come crawling in through the hallways. _

_He shut his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Why was it always waiting?_

_The locked door opened, catching his attention for the pounding beat in his head. He opened his eyes and looked up at the scowling woman standing in front of him. He let out a laugh that sounded rough and forced, "Come to say goodbyes, Rani?" She'd regenerated. _

_"I've come because I, for one, don't intend to die with the rest of these fools," she corrected._

_He leaned up as smoothly as his exhausted body and the restraints circling his wrists would allow, "It seems to me that you're the fool here. You can't escape this time. Our dear Theta has ensured that we both die for good this time."_

_She narrowed her eyes and dug in a pocket before she produced a circuit and several small tools, "Can you fix this?" She dropped them in his lap._

_He inspected them carefully, categorizing each part and its function, "I believe I would have to know what 'this' is supposed to be, first."_

_"That is how I intend to escape," she said, glancing efficiently behind her to make certain no one was there. _

_He chuckled as he turned the little circuit in his fingers, "I ought to crush this right now."_

_That's when she gave him a confident grin, "I know how to barter with you. Fix it and I will conveniently forget to lock the door on my way out. If you just so happen to choose to follow me... well, I can't be blamed for your own supidity."_

_He knew that it would likely fail. Either that or they would strangle the life out of each other before the flames could touch them. Still... if it were between a risk and death... _

_He smiled up at her and started to use the tools to unlock the restrains, "You've changed."_

_She crossed her arms, irritated, "And you're one to talk."_

_He chuckled, "You ought to see the idiot."_

_"I'm not here for your chatter; hurry up before someone comes along. There is not time to waste here."_

_"Either help me or shut it, woman." Neither on spoke after that. Not even when the Master managed to forced his exhausted body to fall into a sad march behind the Rani as they stuck to the shadows. The worst part wasn't being forced to rely on someone else's help to escape, it was simply that he'd honestly ceased to care whether or not they escaped. _

The Doctor returned with a small medical kit that he generally kept for companions or any number of strange and unheard of things that tended to be common occurrences on the TARDIS. He'd half expected to return and find the Master throwing things at the controls in an attempt to steer the TARDIS where he wanted to go. Instead, he was in the same spot with his head against the wall.

He sighed and took an unceremonious seat in front of the sleeping timelord. He picked up on of the Master's scrapped hands and wrapped a few white bandages around them. "You ought to be glad we don't get infections easily," he muttered before he worked on the other hand and returned to the controls. He took one more glance over his shoulder, "You know, you're far better company when you're unconscious."

* * *

So, there you have it. Hopefully, in the next chapter the little gang will venture outside of the TARDIS. ^.^

As for the length, I'm hoping to start making the chapters a bit longer as we go along.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. :3


	12. Chapter 12

So, I finally got it up (and a day early, too ^.^). As always, thank you for the reviews, I appriciate them and have fun with the next chapter.

* * *

The Doctor had to admit that there were times where having companions was a bit of a drawback. One of those times generally came along when his past came back to haunt him. He stared down defiantly at Amy, "It's none of your business who he is, Pond. Just know that he's _my_ responsibility."

"You said he's a dangerous criminal. Why haven't you turned him in?" Amy asked with a grin.

"Because he'd just break out and we'd have the same problem again! I'm the only person who can keep him from killing something," the Doctor countered.

"Rather cushy ride for a prisoner," Amy commented.

The Doctor crossed his arms, "No, Pond."

Amy grabbed his shoulders and glared up at him, "Doctor, please. You're acting funny. You aren't talking as much and that's just not you."

He sighed, his shoulders sagging. He leaned against the consul, glancing at the timelord sleeping against the wall. He ran his hands through his hair, suddenly looking as though he'd been caught in another trap, desperately seeking a way out, "Look, Amy, when I was young, and I know that this is going to be hard to believe, but I wasn't the most popular of timetots. Well, so was he for different reasons. His family was rather high up in our society and, more than that, he was always a bit...different. He was my only friend, Amy."

Amy frowned, "But he's a dangerous criminal. I thought you're all for truthiness and justice. Yeah?"

He nodded and reluctantly told her about the drums and the near resurrection of his planet, "I can't help but think that he would have been a different man without those drums. He wasn't like that before the drums."

"So you're trying to save him?" Amy asked.

He sighed and nodded, "Yeah. How do you save someone that does want help?"

She shrugged, "I thought you were the brilliant one."

He grinned and adjusted his jacket, "Yeah. Yeah, I am. You have your days, Pond."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oi. Time to wake up or you'll miss breakfast," the Doctor's voice sliced through the Master's dreams, followed by a rather rough poke to the shoulder.

The Master cracked an eye opened, "Have I ever told you that I hate you?"

"Come on," the Doctor urged, "Amy's made breakfast. It's mostly fried things. She _is_ Scottish. But there's custard, too. Custard is good. I like custard."

"Is this how you treat prisoners on your ship?" the Master snapped, "I want no breakfast."

The Doctor sighed dramatically, "Come on, now. It's just breakfast. A little food won't turn you into me. There's jelly babies."

"If it will make you shut up," the Master mumbled, standing up. Anything to get the idiot to stop talking. After all, knowing the Doctor, wherever they landed, there would likely be a problem. And when there was a problem that involved the Doctor, there was sure to be a marathon's worth of running. He frowned, trying to work out the ache in his neck from sleeping against the wall.

He looked down at the white wraps around his knuckles, "Are we playing mother hen now, Doctor?" The Doctor ignored his comment and kept walking.

The kitchen had moved to accommodate the new regeneration. A new Doctor, a new TARDIS. As a child, he'd almost feared regeneration and what it would bring. After he'd received the drums, he'd almost tricked himself into believing they would leave with regeneration. That was one of many reasons he'd tried to burn through several of his regenerations, if he'd been honest about it. Funny thing, though; lies came easy and, as he loved to remind the Doctor, the truth hurt.

The Doctor must have chalked his frown up to the TARDIS. "You know, she gets more lovely each time she changes," he commented almost defensively.

"What are you babbling about this time?" the other timelord mumbled halfheartedly. The smell of food hit him hard. His frown deepened. Hunger, drums, what else would the universe dump on him? He glanced to his side to see the Doctor straightening his bowtie while he grinned at the fish fingers and custard on the table. Oh, yeah. That idiot. "There you boys are! Hurry up and take what you want before it's gone," Amy instructed.

The Doctor grabbed his fish fingers and custard and dug in. The Master hesitated only for a minute before he sighed and picked up the extra plate and grabbed food, choosing to eat away from the group sitting at the table. Instead, he stood near the counter and chose to look at the wall. "We don't bite," Amy commented. He glanced over his shoulder and scowled before he turned back to his food. Amy shrugged before she turned to the Doctor, "Where are we going today?"

"I _was _tracking the signals from the ship we ran into until I found a distress signal nearby," the Doctor answered, "Very urgent."

"What planet?" the Master demanded.

"So, we'll pop in, probably face some horrible trials, but I'll come up with something brilliant and we'll save the day!" the Doctor announced, ignoring the Master who chomped into a piece of bacon with a vengeance.

"I asked you where you received a distress call from," the Master interjected.

"See, Ponds, this is why I keep you around: you give me answers, so I answer you," the Doctor said with a smile.

"You never give us answers, Doctor," Rory pointed out, "And if you do, they're usually lies."

The Doctor scowled at him, "Hush, Rory. At least you have the decency to have breakfast with me."

"You're an imbecile," the Master snapped, "Drop me at the nearest planet, Doctor. Technology or no: I'd rather die there miserable and alone than being stuck with a hypocritical, self-righteous idiot like you!"

"You know I can't do that," the Doctor said, finally answering him.

"You want to know what you caused in the name of your _righteousness_, Doctor?" the other timelord hissed, encouraged by the beating of the drums, "You _killed_ all of the timelords! Burned them alive! Good, bad, man, woman, child: it didn't matter, they all died because they were beyond being saved by _you_! You killed children, Doctor. Do you want to know the difference between us? I admit my bloodlust; you hide yours!"

Luckily for the Master, this regeneration seemed much easier to anger. The Doctor stood, "You honestly think I _wanted_ to do that? What would possess me to do something that...vile unless I had to? Oh! That's right! You think everyone in the universe has to be like you!"

The Master grinned, "You can't tell me you've never thought about it. I know you, Doctor. There's a part of you that would be _so_ good at being _bad_." He walked out of the room.

The other timelord sighed and shook his head before he sat back down and propped his head up with his hand, "And there's a part of you that would be so brilliant and being good."

Luckily for the Master, the Doctor had left the monitor up. Some backwaters planet about the size of earth. What was it with the Doctor and backwaters little planets, anyway? The drums pounded in his skull and he closed his eyes, trying to stop the headache from spreading. He turned his attention back to the consul and looked at the information on the screen. Apparently the planet housed a large number of telepathic species. He frowned. He didn't much care for other telepaths. Especially when the Doctor was pretending to baby-sit. Something didn't feel right about it.

* * *

Well, hoped you liked it! ^.^ . *Looks at review button*

I hope to have the next one out by Friday.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the long wait, everyone. T_T I had some moving to do and it took a while to get the internet up and running. Anyway, without further interuption, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! ^_^

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Traveling was rather tense. No one in the group spoke besides Rory and Amy and, even then, they kept to whispers. The Master hung near the back of the group until the Doctor decided to keep pace with the other time lord in a silent fear that he would run off. "Where did the call come from?" Amy finally asked.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic and took a few readings. He pointed it in front of them to the thick greenery before them, "Through all of that mess. Apparently there are four surviving life forms."

The Master frowned, feeling suddenly uneasy. The Doctor and his two human companions worked on parting the thick curtain of red and green vines. The Master chuckled as he watched them make virtually no progress, "You _do_ realize that the things behind that are controlling it?"

The Doctor frowned at him, "Are you going to spoil the fun all of the time?"

"First of all, there is no _all of the time_. Besides that, what reason could you possibly give me for placating you when I-"

"Humans and time lords. It has been many years since we have seen your people," a melodic voice called through the plants.  
The Master frowned, "Lovely. They know us. Which means one of two things."

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"They either want to kill us or they love us."

The vines parted like a door. Before the Doctor could walk right through, the Master grabbed the back of his jacket collar, "Perhaps I should voice aloud what you're about to do so you'll see how utterly stupid it is. Do you have any I idea what's in there?" He pointed to the darkness inside the curtain that was so thick, only a few feet in front of them could be seen.

The Doctor grinned, "'course not."

The Master sighed, "Why do I even bother? The faster you get yourself killed, the faster I can steal your TARDIS." He let go. If worse came to worse, at least he would get to kill something.

"We mean no harm to you, time lord. There is no need for violence," the female voice commented.

The Master scowled, quickly putting up psychic defenses, "You've no idea how many times I've used that line myself."

In a classic moment of...Doctorness, the time lord pulled a long string from his pocket and made sure everyone had a piece before he took the lead and marched the group into the darkness. "What'd it mean, 'there's no need for violence'? No one said anything about violence," Amy asked.

The Doctor used the sonic to light as much of the plant-based cavern as possible. Without turning around, he simply answered, "No, but I imagine _someone_ was thinking it."

The Master grinned, "Doctor, you never told me you have such malicious thoughts running around in that empty head of yours."

"I'm going to have a malicious thought in a minute if you don't stop it," the Doctor commented. His eyes connected with light further up in the tunnel, "Ah! There we are. Almost there."

The tunnel of vines opened up into a clearing where the remains of a ship were stationed. White tree trunks rose up into a thick mass of red leaves. Red and green grass swirled around the ground in a mixture. For a moment, both time lords frowned deeply looking at the small patches of red.

The crash victims weren't hard to find. In fact, they were simply waiting on them. They were tall creatures who seemed to be made of vapor rather than solid flesh. A woman stepped toward them without disturbing the grass with her feet. "I am Alyissa. Welcome, time lords and humans," she greeted with a smile.

The Doctor smiled, "Looks like you've got a bit of a problem."

Alyissa glanced at the wreckage, "Yes, Doctor. Our ship was damaged in a confrontation with my brother's battleship. We are stranded in these dangerous woods until it can be repaired."

The Master grabbed the Doctor's jacket and pulled hard to get his attention, "I suggest you stop being an idiot and put up some psychic defenses."

The Doctor frowned, "I already did that when we left the TARDIS."

"Well, it certainly isn't me," he snapped quietly, "It was probably your ape pets."

"Please do not fight. Defenses will do you no good with my people, I fear. And we can do little to stop it," Alyissa interjected, "Now, please."

"Is she reading you mind?" Amy asked the Doctor who gave a grudging nod. Amy laughed, "I kind of feel sorry for her now." The Master smirked but stayed quiet, inspecting the wreckage.

"Well! We better get started, then," the Doctor said, heading towards the ship.

While the Doctor had been fine with just letting him sit back while they'd tried to part the curtain of vines, he'd refused to give the Master peace until he agreed to help him with the ship. He argued that the Ponds had no idea how to reconstruct the thing from fresh parts with an instruction manual, much less from wreckage. He'd eventually given in, trying to get the obnoxious time lord off his back. Besides, something wasn't quite right... and the Doctor wouldn't even think to put in a couple of fail safes. And he _certainly_ hadn't endured having to work with the Rani for three days just to die again.

So, when the Doctor wasn't looking, he managed to slip in a couple of convenient functions that could be easily taken advantage of if one knew they were there. He was careful to concentrate on the pounding of the drums, focusing on them to the point where he thought his ears were bleeding so the stupid little psychic creatures wouldn't be able to figure out what he was doing.

Finally, the Doctor called it quits for the day. "Alright. Ponds, you'll go back to the TARDIS, just in case something happens. You'll stay here until I can get back. Don't do anything...violent. Got it?" The Master grumbled and sat against a white tree trunk. The Doctor kept eye contact, "I'm trusting you."

"Run along, mother hen," the Master told him. The Doctor watched him for a minute before he turned to the Ponds, leaving the Master alone with the ship-wrecked creatures. Something about all of this was off... and he certainly couldn't' put his finger on it with that idiot running around making a racket.

"Would you like some water?" Alyissa asked the Master after the Doctor left.

"Why don't you read my mind, woman?" he responded with a scowl.

She smiled sadly. He didn't like it. It reminded him of someone... the only question was who. "Tell me something, time lord; what will you do now?"

"What are you talking about?"

She knelt in front of him, "You know, it's alright."

He narrowed his eyes, standing up, "Stop babbling like an idiot."

Her voice deepened and, just for a moment, a face he hadn't seen in centuries took the place of the woman, "It's not your fault, son."

Everything in the forest was silent and, for a little bit, he was frozen, eyes wide, hearts working in double time. As soon as her face replaced that of the long buried memory, he snarled at the creature and tried to kick her. When his foot went right through her, he tried again and again with the same result. She still held that sad smile on her face. He snarled again and stormed off through the plant tunnel, her warnings about the dangers of the forest falling silent to the pound of the drums.

_One, two, three four_.

Something was going to pay.

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Thank you for waiting. Hopefully you liked it. ^_^ And remember, never trust strangers. Especially intergalactic, psychic ones... unless they're the Doctor.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello again, everyone! I'm sorry for the delay. Classes just started up and it's been pretty busy. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed because they're really nice and they really encourage me. So, to everyone who reviewed, thank you very, very much.

Without further delay, here's the next chapter!

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The Doctor knew something had gone wrong the minute he got back to the ship to find the Master gone. "What happened?" he sighed, shoulders sagging. Had it really been too much to ask him to behave for ten minutes?

"He panicked and raced out of the grove. We know not what provoked such a reaction," one of the stranded aliens informed him, "We tried to warn him that the forest is filled with danger."

The Doctor shook his head, "Trust me, that one is probably more of a danger than anything in that forest could ever be. I'll be back."

"I insist that you stay here, timelord," the creature said, his eyes threatening.

"Now, see, this is what I was _just_ telling Amy and Rory about; you never have an _honest_ distress call these days. It's always the traps and ambushes when you aren't expecting it," the Doctor commented with a sloppy grin.

"You do not understand, Doctor," Alyissa said evenly, "We mean you no harm. In fact, we mean to save you."

The Doctor frowned, "Save me? Save me from what? Better yet, why are you saving me?"

She smiled softly, "You know in your heart that that one will never change; he is incapable of a decent deed. It was programmed into his very soul. It is what he was meant to do and he always will. Even at the cost of the only life that cares if he lives."

The Doctor took a step back and held up his hands, "And, _this_ is the problem I have with most upper-level psychic life-forms. You just get cocky. Nooo! You can't let someone live out their own life without taking it into your own hands. People like me have this issue with trust. And I'm certainly not going to put my life in _your_ hands...er, they _are_ hands, aren't they? Yes. Hands. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a brooding egomaniac to pick up."

Alyissa sadly shook her head, "I fear that you will regret this, Doctor. If he explodes at the first glimpse of his past, what will he do when he comes to face something like the distress call you received from one of your long since deceased comrades?"

The Doctor shed his good humor in half a second, his hearts freezing for just a moment, "What did you show him?"

"What he needed to be shown," Alyissa answered.

"What did you show him?" the Doctor demanded, pausing after each word and increasing in volume and threat. He glanced quickly at the other creatures and at the ship that was now fully repaired almost like magic. "What have you done?"

"Have you not noticed it yet, Doctor? He lies to himself even now. The link was severed and you know it; you were there, after all," she told him, "If you are to have even the slightest chance at surviving him, you must show him that he only torments himself now."

"He may be a bit thick at times, especially around Christmas, but I would imagine he wouldn't look over a change in the noise he's heard for centuries; it's too important to him."

"Dear Doctor, you know better than the rest of us that almost anyone will blind themselves to a truth they do not want to hear," Alyissa said, "If you are intent on saving him, I suggest you take your leave now before he is beyond saving. Take great care, Doctor; we will meet again when the final test is over."

"Who are you?" the timelord demanded as the four of them returned to their ship, "What do you want?"

She smiled over her shoulder, "We are justice. If you fail, Doctor, we will be his executioner."

That was the day that the Doctor decided to choice which distress calls he answered much more carefully.

"Ponds? Hello, Ponds? Ponds! Amy!" the Doctor shouted into his improvised earpiece.

"Yeah, yeah! Give me just a minute!" Amy's voice carried over, "What do you want?"

"Listen carefully because this is very, _very_ important. Have you got Rory with you?" the Doctor said quickly.

"Hello, Doctor," Rory's voice answered.

"Good. Good. Rory, I need you to run to the medical bay and get to the big red machine in the right corner. Hit the green button. You've _got_ to have your back facing the wall with the blue machine. Wait for me there. Understood?"

"Yeah. I think I can manage that."

"Good, then go manage it! Amy, I need you to go to the screen. Hit the top right button, then the bottom left and then the middle left. Tell me what the screen says," the Doctor instructed.

After a short pause, Amy answered, "It says '55.'"

"Good girl, Pond. Tell me if it changes," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, what's going on?"

"I'm working it out, Pond."

Of course, when storming out of an alien camp in an uncontrolled fury on a planet filled with psychic and carnivorous creatures, one generally doesn't encounter the most pleasant of situations. The Master's case was no different. He'd stopped near a rather large lake before he debated turning back around. Before he could even begin to make the choice, an idiotic whistling shattered any thought of momentary peace.

He whirled around, ready to unleash his fury on his fellow Time Lord. As soon as his eyes made contact with the Doctor's, something knotted in his stomach. Something wasn't right. "Have you come to pester me to death?" he demanded.

The Doctor simply grinned and continued walking closer until he was a foot in front of the bleach blonde. The crocked grin wasn't...right. It wasn't cocky or self-righteous... It was something that the Master had seen in his own reflection as Saxon. "I figured I'd find you sulking about out here," he said.

The Master scowled, "I'd rather take my chances out here. Go back to your stupid apes."

The Doctor laughed loudly. It sent shivers down the Master's spine. That _wasn't_ the Doctor's laugh. "You're quite oblivious. You know that?"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Tell me something, Koschei: why do you keep lying to yourself? Hm?"

"What are you talking about?" the Master shouted.

"Your whole life, all of the pride the Time Lords had in you in the academy, everything you've ever done... it's worthless. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Admitting that your whole life has been played out like a puppet on a string."

"Shut up!"

"Fair's fair, though, I suppose you sure showed him when you shot him back into the timelock. Now what's the difference between us? Between the two of us, we've murdered our planet twice. What would your father have to say about that? Tell you that it's okay again?"

"I said shut up!" Unable to restrain it, he swung. His fist never connected with anything but the air.

The fake Doctor chuckled, "Seeing things, now? What a loony."

"Stop it! The drums are _real_!"

"The link was severed the moment that white point star shattered. For such a genius, you really can't stand the obvious. What's beating in your head right now, it's not real. You're ins-"

"Stop it!"  
He laughed again, "You can't stand to admit it, can you? Trust me, Koschei; I know you better than you do. Go ahead, ask me how."

In a desperate attempt to shut out what was would come next, he clamped his hands over his ear. "Stop it," his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I know because I'm like the drums. _You made me in your head._"

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Hopefully I'll have the update soon. But, like I said, classes started and things have been pretty crazy lately.

I hope that you enjoyed it! ^_^


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